Plant & Works Engineering September 2022 Issue

News 0 8 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk September 2022 From China to Latin America, an abnormally dry winter and spring followed by record-breaking summer heatwaves have made visible the Hunger Stones and hidden sculptures once used to warn of worryingly low water levels that forecast famines. Their re-emergence is not just an ecological omen but an economic one too. Electricity prices, which had already shot up as economies around the world recovered from the Covid19 pandemic, have been sent soaring due to supply disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Businesses are not insulated by the energy price cap so over a third of UK manufacturers have seen their energy bills increase by more than 50% in past 12 months. Almost 10% of British businesses say the costs are so severe their company’s continued existence is in question. So what can be done to support business through this period. Essential immediate measures should include reducing the cost of doing business. The Prime Minister could begin by reversing the recent increase in employers’ National Insurance Contributions and extending the Business Rate reliefs offered to high street retailers and manufacturers. Government should also incentivise investment in digital and green technologies by expanding the R&D tax credit to include capital equipment, especially for technologies that support industrial decarbonisation. Government can help mitigate labour and skills shortages by immediately reviewing the Shortage Occupation List, and reviews must become a more regular and real-time occurrence, as standard. The new Cabinet should also agree to increase the amount an employer can spend on Apprenticeship standards where there is a prominent skills gap. British manufacturing is a global leader. The UK is the 9th largest manufacturing economy on the planet, with firms in the sector paying wages on average 12% higher than employers in the rest of the economy. That productivity success is built on highly skilled workers and apprentices. But the current apprenticeship levy system isn’t working as best it can. The new Prime Minister should task the Department for Education with launching a full scale review of the system with a view to overhauling the Apprenticeship Levy to ensure British people are among the most productive and highly skilled workers in the world. Storm clouds are gathering over our economy at present. But great political leaders can make the weather by shaping the right regulatory and tax environment for the country to thrive. Ending a decade of stagnant productivity and real wage growth should be the new Prime Minister’s top priority. Supporting Britain’s world beating manufacturing sector would be a great place to start. By MAKE UK chief executive, Stephen Phipson MAKE uk - the manufacturers’ organisation monthly news comment Datahone, the production and maintenance monitoring provider, has announced a co-sell agreement with Ultimo, a provider of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions for the mid-market. Both companies already work with UK manufacturers to enhance outputs and the reliability of manufacturing assets. Machinery and other assets that are optimised for performance and maintained for reliability deliver positive outcomes for profit margins. With over 30 years of industry experience, Ultimo says it has grown to become the leading flexible EAM Cloud platform, rewarding manufacturers with maximum asset availability. The software enables businesses to gain better control over their assets, realise uptime, control costs, and create a safe and healthy working environment. Datahon’s Intelligent Factory provides production and condition monitoring applications to manufacturers across many different industry sectors and, like Ultimo, delivers a host of benefits regarding productivity. Cliff Brereton, CEO of Datahone, commented: “This partnership is great news for manufacturers who use Datahone’s production and maintenance monitoring capabilities to manage their performance. By adding Ultimo’s asset and maintenance management offering to our portfolio, we can expand our offering and add new value to our customers. Both solutions have demonstrated outstanding Return on Investment (ROI), and being able to monitor production process and assets around the business can truly make a difference to our customers.” Marcel Leeflang, Head of Channel Sales at Ultimo, commented: “We are delighted to be working with DATAHONE to improve productivity for manufacturers across the UK by reducing unplanned downtime and optimising planned maintenance activities. I am looking forward to supporting customers with our joint solution.” Partnership aims to reduce asset downtime